Hey all. Last night I glassed my deck using RR epoxy with the fast hardener and additive F. My mix seemed a bit thin compared to my bottom glassing mix but I chalked it up to heating the resin a bit more than last time. I was wrong. My mix had to be off because after I poured it on my board it got real hot real fast. I managed to spread the resin pretty well around the board but before I knew it the whole mix was hard. I quickly mixed a fresh batch to saturate the laps and finish the job which worked out ok, but there are many spots of pooled resin and a general unsmooth appearance on the deck. I’m wondering if the hot coat/sanding will cover up these patches of resin or if my board is destined to be a blotchy labor of love. Let me know your experience with epoxy and if my board can look smooth again.
Cheers,
Zal
If it kicked off then you had the mix right, but you probably got the epoxy too hot, and that caused it the therm quickly.
Or 2) just put a hot coat down and sand.
whatever you do you are going to have to sand the heck out of it.
Remeber epoxy is just glue for the fiberglass. It does you no good to pile up epoxy on a board, all it does it add weight. If you want it to be flat and smooth again, you need to sand it flat and reglass…That is if you truly have pools and blobs of epoxy everywhere?
It won’t take but a few minutes with 80 grit and a good sander.
It’s not horribly messed up, but there are pools and blobs that I can see scattered throughout. Do you think it’d be better to sand before the hot coat? Or should I throw the hot coat on it and then sand it all down together?
You heated the resin too much and or you heated the hardener too (don’t) and or left the resin in the bucket too long. Getting comfortable with a system and experiience will eliminate this problem. Hotcoat first and sand away.
it’s not called fast hardener for nothing.
usually i get the desired kick…but i have had it exotherm.
all is not lost…fix it…you can do it…herb
My first mix was with fast hardener as well but didn’t kick nearly as fast. Still cured fine though. I think I just put in more hardener than the epoxy could handle…
i think a little of both.
just remember this…most… if not all here has experienced this case scenario.
heck i can f-up a superglue project if i don’t stay focused.
but i have also defied some of the toughest mistakes by staying focused… and the outcome was even sweeter.
herb
Extra hardener won’t make epoxy kick faster it just makes it weaker.
Let me know your experience with epoxy and if my board can look smooth again.
Ahh, The fun of epoxy. Pictures would help.
Not a big fan of epoxy. I’ve done a half dozen or so boards with it but its just too much of a hassle to justify the added cost and time needed.
When you do get down to sanding be careful not to bee too aggressive and overheat the surface.